Adele

Musician

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Adele has rewritten the pop rulebook, using her powerful, once-in-a-generation voice to become a towering figure in the music business. At a time when streaming services and online piracy have cannibalized album sales, she’s almost single-handedly revived hope for the flagging industry, with each of her blockbuster album releases doubling as cultural events.

Through the signature sound of her show-stopping voice and the heartrending candor of her lyrics, Adele has earned a massive following that transcends cultures and borders, shattering records around the world en route to becoming the best-selling singer of the 21st century. The British singer-songwriter is a phenomenon wherever she goes, selling out more than 100 dates in arenas and stadiums across the globe for her world tour.

If anything is going to stop her, it might be her own voice: Adele was forced to cancel the remaining dates on a massive world tour due to vocal-cord damage, a challenge that required surgery earlier in her career.

Born Adele Adkins in London, England, Adele was signed by the indie label XL after the teenage singer was discovered on MySpace. Her debut album, “19,” was an instant hit in the U.K., and by the time her 2011 follow-up, “21,” earned her six Grammys, she was one of the biggest recording artists on the planet. Her last two studio albums achieved diamond status, selling 10 million units in the U.S. alone, with “25” going triple platinum in its first week. In 2013, she won an Oscar for best original song.

News from Variety

Adele has canceled the final two shows of her tour, she announced in an emotional Facebook post on Friday, revealing that she's damaged her vocal cords."On medical advice I simply am unable to perform over the weekend," she wrote. "To say I'm heart broken would be a complete understatement."The news follows two consecutive nights performed at Wembley Stadium (June 28 and 29), during which Adele was poised to attendance records at the London venue. According to British industry trade Music...